Other than the box, this 5-DVD set is identical to Paramount's 2003 release

Posted by David Lambert

7/12/2010

In 2003 Paramount Home Entertainment released James Clavell's Shogun on DVD. The classic 1980 mini-series came on 5 discs with extras that included 13 making-of documentary segments, 3 historical featurettes, and audio commentary tracks by director Jerry London on selected scenes.

Today CBS/Paramount announced a September 14th release titled Shogun - Commemorative 30th Anniversary Edition. This 5-DVD set lists the identical contents, bonus material and specs from the 2003 release. We checked with our industry contacts, and they confirmed that this is NOT a new release, but just a repackaged version of the original set.

We don't usually report on mere repackagings, but since this one looked like it could cause an enormous amount of confusion, we decided that we should make sure the information got out there. Folks who have never picked this title up will absolutely enjoy it, we're sure, but there's no reason for a double-dip if you already own it. Maybe when (or if) they decide to put it out on Blu-ray. For now, here's a look at the new DVD packaging: